20 Surprising Ways to Earn Loyalty Program Points or Miles Part 2

2019-08-19

Spa services

Travelers who enjoy pampering themselves while on vacation can earn loyalty program points or miles for spending money on spa treatments. By purchasing a Spafinder Wellness 365 gift card via shopping portals for Southwest Rapid Rewards, American Airlines AAdvantage, Choice Privileges and Wyndham Rewards (among others), program participants will earn three or four points or miles for every dollar they spend. And for Spa & Wellness gift cards purchased from JetBlue TrueBlue’s ShopTrue website, members will receive two points per dollar spent. Spa gift cards can be used for various treatments at thousands of participating locations around the world.

Fuel purchases

Some rewards programs partner with gas stations to give members the chance to accrue points for gas. With Wyndham Rewards, members collect two points for every gallon of gas they buy at participating Marathon gas stations. Southwest Rapid Rewards members can also earn points for Marathon fuel purchases. When a Southwest Rapid Rewards member fills up at select Marathon gas stations, they’ll receive one point per gallon of gas purchased. Additional points in either program may be awarded for items bought inside a Marathon gas station’s convenience store.

Wine club subscriptions

Oenophiles can rack up rewards points or miles just for doing what they love: sipping wine. Some hotel and airline rewards programs let members earn points or miles when they order vino through Vinesse Wines, a wine club that specializes in wines produced by small, lesser-known wineries. Each month’s delivery includes six wines and tasting notes. Exact loyalty program earnings vary by brand, but airline rewards programs like FRONTIER Miles, Free Spirit and HawaiianMiles offer up to 5,000 miles for Vinesse Wines orders. For Choice Privileges and Best Western Rewards, two hotel rewards programs that partner with Vinesse Wines, expect to receive up to 10,000 and 12,500 points, respectively.

Online surveys

Many loyalty programs add miles or points to a member’s account each time they complete an online survey about various services and products. For example, JetBlue TrueBlue awards 400 points for creating a free Jet Opinions account and completing a survey, while the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan offers a minimum of 400 miles to members who sign up for The Opinion Terminal and finish one or more free surveys. Other programs, such as Wyndham Rewards and IHG Rewards Club, give participants 500 or 1,000 points after joining Opinion Rewards or Opinion Check-In and submitting their first survey. Additional points may be awarded to members who complete more than one survey.

Pet-sitting and dog walking services

Dog owners who use pet-sitting and dog walking services may want to enroll in rewards programs like American Airlines AAdvantage and Choice Privileges. Every American Airlines AAdvantage member receives 2,000 miles after completing their first booking with Rover, a network of sitters who can board dogs or cats, housesit, check on animals during the day and more. Plus, members will earn 1 mile per dollar spent on additional pet services. Choice Privileges also partners with the company to offer its members the chance to accrue one point for every dollar spent on Rover services. To take advantage of this arrangement between Choice Privileges and Rover, members must book Rover services through the Choice Privileges Rewards website.

Flower deliveries

Through partnerships with companies like FTD, Teleflora and 1-800-Flowers.com members of multiple loyalty programs can get rewarded for ordering flowers. Travelers enrolled in Radisson Rewards will accrue 1,500 points for every flower and gift basket purchase made with FTD, while Delta SkyMiles members will receive a minimum of 20 miles per dollar spent with FTD. Best Western Rewards participants collect 1,250 points every time they spend at least $29.99 on Teleflora flower deliveries. Meanwhile, Southwest Rapid Rewards members who purchase 1-800-Flowers.com flowers and gifts that cost $29.99 or more will earn 1,000 points. Orders must be placed through a program’s partner link or by phone to qualify for points or miles.

Cruises

Cruisers who are enrolled in rewards programs like Marriott Bonvoy, Free Spirit and FRONTIER Miles should consider booking their next cruise vacation through their loyalty program account. For every dollar spent on cruises reserved on Marriott’s Cruise with Points website, Marriott Bonvoy members will receive three points. Additionally, Free Spirit and FRONTIER Miles participants can earn up to 10,000 miles for a cruise. The number of Free Spirit miles awarded depends on how much money is spent, while FRONTIER Miles earnings vary depending on cruise duration. Some of the cruise lines that offer sailings bookable through these loyalty programs include Royal Caribbean International, Carnival Cruise Line and Disney Cruise Line.

Currency exchanges

Of the top 24 hotel and airline rewards programs, United MileagePlus is the only one that gives you the chance to earn miles for exchanging currency. When you need to swap U.S. dollars for another type of currency (or vice versa), you’ll receive up to 3,000 miles when the order is made with Travelex. Exact earnings rates are as follows: For every order less than $500, you’ll accrue 1 mile per $2 exchanged; for orders $500 or greater, you’ll collect 1 mile for each dollar you exchange. To earn miles, you must provide your United MileagePlus account number when making your purchase.

Groceries

Buying groceries in Alaska or Hawaii is another way you can earn frequent flyer miles. With the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan, you’ll collect 100 miles every time you spend $300 at Carrs-Safeway locations in Alaska. To qualify, simply link your Safeway Club Card number to your loyalty account. HawaiianMiles also gives you the opportunity to accrue miles for spending money on groceries thanks to its partnership with Foodland and Sack N Save. After signing up for a Foodland Maika’i Card and spending $250 on in-store purchases, you’ll receive a My Rewards Certificate, which you can redeem with a cashier for 200 HawaiianMiles. Spend $100 on groceries while cashing in a My Rewards Certificate and you’ll receive an additional 300 miles.

Charitable donations

Travelers who want to earn miles for supporting a noteworthy cause can do so with United MileagePlus or American Airlines AAdvantage. For every dollar United MileagePlus members donate to the National Foundation for Cancer Research, they’ll receive 10 miles. Likewise, for every dollar American Airlines AAdvantage members give to Stand Up to Cancer, they’ll accrue 10 bonus miles. All donations submitted through United MileagePlus and American Airlines AAdvantage go toward cancer research initiatives. Keep in mind, a minimum contribution of $25 is required by both programs for donations to be eligible for miles.